Washington – The Department of Labor has published a final rule increasing civil penalty amounts for violations to adjust for inflation.
The increase will be 1.01636 percent for OSHA, the Mine Safety and Health Administration, and other DOL agencies, according to the rule, published in the Jan. 18 Federal Register.
Higher penalties will apply to violations that occurred after Nov. 2, 2015, for penalties assessed after Jan. 13.
The Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act requires DOL to adjust its civil penalty levels for inflation by Jan. 15 of each year, states the rule, which went into effect Jan. 13.
DOL must determine the annual adjustment according to the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, according to the rule. The inflation adjustment for 2017 was based on the percentage change between the October 2016 CPI-U and the October 2015 CPI-U.
